Big Horn quality 3400

[kinzu]

HI Talked a friend in to going to check out Big Horn rvs..I have been checking ur units out for some time....Very impressed..Friend purchased a 3400 last week....Found many areas that needed attention..see following.
1, Slide side windows latches mislocated.(had to be redrilled and relocated)
2, Table bolted down backwards
3, Slide out support ...bent
4, Flapper missing for range hood vent
5. Tool box lid knife edge,,,very dangerous extreamly dangerous becareful
6, Screws not installed to hold recliners straps down
7, Crack in fiber glass slide out wall....not sure if paint is cracked or actual fiberglass is.
8, Under covering had 3 inch hole...near drain pipe ...never plugged.
9, Bedroom slide out under panel looks like this panel was driven on..extreammly scratched...looked terrible..
10, Entertaiment slide out exterior full length seam (vetrical seam) was v ery apparent.

I also was considering purchasing the BigHorn..3400...or 3055. Will do some additional looking at other units on the market. I will still hold the BigHorn at the top of my list,I realize all manufactures have problems,just wanted to point out somethings that ur Quality Dept.should watch out for in the future...Also i noticed cabinet doors do not have center facings...is there a problem with doors meeting directly with each other.. This trailer was purchased from Emerald rv in Clearmont Fla..these people were excellent to deal with.and fixed problems as they were spotted,,,even took pictures of crack on slide out.made a cd, and contacted ur factory rep.to authorize this to be fixed,Rv will have to be fixed once back in NY..
Ed Krott

 

[Cooper]

First Heartland does not make the windows but in my many years of Rving and repair I have never seen a latch miss matched. Table bolted down backward that means the table extension is up against the wall. What are recliner straps? Entertainment slide seal very apparent what does that mean. What about center facings cabnet doors? I know Heartland products are not perfect mines not. I like to hear about problems that might help me with my unit but it sound like you work for Brand X.

 

[Scott]

Bighorn

Thanks for the input. I printed out your list and emailed it to the plant manager, inspector and sales manager. They will do their best to make sure items like that don't get out of here.

ST

 

[kinzu]

work for Brand X NO

First Heartland does not make the windows but in my many years of Rving and repair I have never seen a latch miss matched. Table bolted down backward that means the table extension is up against the wall. What are recliner straps? Entertainment slide seal very apparent what does that mean. What about center facings cabnet doors? I know Heartland products are not perfect mines not. I like to hear about problems that might help me with my unit but it sound like you work for Brand X.

LETS GET ONE THING STRAIGHT I DO NOT WORK FOR BRAND X....
1...WINDOW LATCHES.....WHY DON'T U GIVE EMERALD RV OF CLEARMONT FLA. A CALL I AM SURE THEY WILL SET U STRAIGHT ON THIS.NOT SURE U WILL BELIEVE THEM ALSO???

2...WHAT WAS SAID ABOUT THE ENTERTAINMENT SLIDEOUT ..WAS THAT THE EXTERIOR FIBERGLASS HAD A BAD MISMATCH FROM TOP TO BOTTOM,REALLY LOOKED POOR.

3,...YES THAT IS CORRECT TABLE SLIDE OUT WAS UP AGAINST WALL
4,,,,CABINET DOORS....WAS ONLY CONCERNED ABOUT DOORS MEETING EACH OTHER,,,AND STAYING ALIGNED.

I ONLY BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF HEARTLAND SO THEY WOULD WATCH OUT IN FUTURE,,SO WHEN I PURCHASE MY BIGHORN THAT QUALITY WILL EVEN BE BETTER.. AND YES I AGREE HEARTLAND DOESN'T MAKE WINDOWS...AND YES THE LATCHES WERE IN ERROR,,,THERE ARE MANY PARTS HEARTLAND DOESN'T MAKE JUST THAT SOME OF THESE CAN BE CORRECTED ONCE THEY ARE AWARE OF PROBLEMS..

AND I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN AS SOON AS I SENT A MESSAGE IN HERE,I WOULD HAVE SOMEONE LIKE U,,MAKING SOME SMART REMARKS,,,
KINZU

 

[kinzu]

Thanks Scott

Thanks for the input. I printed out your list and emailed it to the plant manager, inspector and sales manager. They will do their best to make sure items like that don't get out of here.

ST

THANKS SCOTT .....THAT WAS MY MAIN ATTENTION TO INCREASE UR AWARENESS TO QUALITY CONTROL....KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK...VERY NEAR FUTURE I WILL BE A BIG HORN OWNER...KINZU

 

[Cooper]

OK, Kinzu Its just hard to believe that Quality Control could miss that many problems. If you will ready your first post again what do you think you sound like some brand x person. Thanks for your input I hope you injoy your new BigHorn.

 

[ChopperBill]

My feeling on QC is the factory should be the first to see that it is OK to send out and then second the DEALER should catch anything that got by the factory. As far as a screw missing here or there or a cupboard slightly aligned, I can generally take care of little things like that while it is in warranty. I just fix what is fixable and mention it to the dealer. They can do with the info as they fell necessary. A good dealer will mention it to the factory and their pre-delivery men.

 

[Cooper]

Your right the dealer should catch some of the thing quality control misses. After its shake down trip from the factory, the dealer should do a pre- delivery inspection before any customer looks at a trailer or their not doing their job.

 

[Scott]

Enlightening Experience

Just a note on an enlightening experience I had recently. I met a coach out West that we shipped from our plant here in Indiana. I happened to be one of the last people in the coach when before it left, and one of the first in the coach when it arrived. It left here in really clean condition.
It is absolutely amazing how traveling 2,000 miles in just a few days can magically congregate just about every loose particle of sawdust from under the cabinets, through the roof vents and even through any mistakenly un-closed off sub-floor areas - into small piles of debris.
As expected, the coach itself (the cabinetry, structure, systems, soft goods, etc.) held up just fine through the trip. But it did remind me how important it is for the dealer to be at the ready to go through the coach and clean it up from front to back, top to bottom.
The reason I bring this up is because we have had people in the past who wanted to "meet" their coach when it arrived at the sales lot - and they were on the phone with us about how "dirty" the coach was inside.

Now I know exactly what can "shake down" during the first extended road trip. People really need to let the dealer have a day or two with the unit when it first arrives - because in the end, they are a great "last inspection" of the entire coach (systems and all) that needs to take place before they release the coach to the retail buyer.
It's not unlike an auto dealer's "detail shop" that each coach goes through as soon as it arrives from the manufacturer.
And just to note, we are working on ways to eliminate as many of those loose particles that can congregate during the initial road trips.

ST

 

[busted2341]

I am glad u made the trip to see it...but u didn't mention the QC and what it was like upon customer inspection...any thoughts..

 

[jimtoo]

My thoughts on clean from the factory. I just finished installing laminate flooring in my new 3055RL, in the kitchen and pot room. We did not like the standard gray vinyl flooring that is used, I think all manufactures use the same stuff. It was necessary to remove the moldings around the floor in the pot room and any that were in the kitchen area and also the pot itself. How much effort could it have taken to remove the chips of wood and saw dust from under the pot before they mount it? If I had not removed the pot, I feel sure it would have been leaking or damaged the floor due to the amount of chips and saw dust under and in the seal. I know that time is money and in any manufacturing clean up is just a waste of money, let the dealer do it is the attitude that most have I believe, because the dealer gets paid for a PDI which includes a cleanup. I know you could never get all the sawdust and chips out but at least, don't mount the pot on them or the other walls.

I have done numerous adjustments and small repairs myself because of the expense involved in returning to the dealer for something small. But in my mind I don't mind doing small things and when I do it, I know it is done correctly.

 

[ChopperBill]

One of the reasons I purchased our Snowriver camper was the quality. You could go into any access door and you would see no saw dust or wood chips. All of the wiring is neatly laid out, strand for strand, marked and bundled together. Went to there factory in Penticin, BC, Canada. When the line moves everyone stops and cleans up the mess they made before sending it on to the next person. They only make 300 campers a year but the quality sure shows. Why else could they put a life time warranty on the slide and a 5 year structural warranty?
Thing is if everyone did it these trailers probably would cost over a hundred grand! The way I see it I am prepared to sweep up a few shavings and tighten some screws. Gives me some personal time with my camper.